About the River

About the Gateway Arch

Eero Saarinen, 1957

Truly a modern marvel, the Gateway Arch is one of the world’s greatest architectural icons, on a level with the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty. It captures our regional and national aspirations for dreams and discovery. Nearly 50 years after its completion, the Arch stands as one of the most visited attractions in the world and continues to be a destination for tourists around the globe who wish to experience the brilliance of its design and engineering.

In 1947, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association held a design contest calling for an architectural monument, museum, and park landscaping that would symbolize “President Thomas Jefferson’s vision of greater opportunities for men of all races and creeds.”

Included in Eero Saarinen’s winning design for the Arch was a forest of trees and plans for museums, restaurants and other cultural centers that would connect it to the city and the riverfront. Nearly 50 years after putting the Arch keystone in place, St. Louis has an opportunity to continue Saarinen’s vision of the park as a gateway to exploration by expanding its reach to the region and the river, and bringing new, vigorous life to one of our greatest urban national parks.